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Venus $-$$$
- 2327 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley (map)
- 510-540-5950
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Cafe Q $-$$
- 2302 Encinal Ave., Alameda (map)
- 510-521-8848
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Serves breakfast and lunch made from organic, locally grown ingredients, with menu items including house-cured cold cuts, daily roasted meats, and poached eggs.
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Cafe Yesterday $
- 1122 University Ave., Berkeley (map)
- 510-969-9619
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Housed in a mellow, spic-and-span space, Cafe Yesterday is Berkeley's most comprehensive cereal bar, though its well-rounded menu also includes salads, sandwiches, house-baked pastries, and fair-trade coffee.
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The Baltic $$$
- 135 Park Pl., Richmond (map)
- 510-237-1000
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(based on 1 user review)
You can dance, drink, and most definitely eat at this German-American restaurant and tavern, where the Wiener Schnitzel comes veggie-optional and live music fills the room every weekend. If the weather's nice, sit out on the cedar patio and sip on Belgium ale and other tasty beer offerings in bottle or on tap.
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Disco Volante $$
- 347 14th St., Oakland (map)
- 510-663-0271
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(based on 4 user reviews)
The latest addition to Oakland's blossoming nightlife scene has set up shop in a turquoise-tiled Art Deco building at 14th and Webster streets. Disco Volante, set to open in late October, is a bar, music venue, and restaurant run by a trio of Oakland arts and entertainment vets, with chef Douglas Bernstein of Bacar, Eccolo, and Farallon fame serving up local and seasonal California cuisine. Musical offerings will range from bluegrass to Afrobeat, with shows at least three nights a week.
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Grand Tavern $$$
- 3601 Grand Ave., Oakland (map)
- 510-444-4644
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(based on 2 user reviews)
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Sam's Log Cabin $$
- 945 San Pablo Ave., Albany (map)
- 510-558-0494
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Au Coquelet Cafe $
- 2000 University Ave., Berkeley (map)
- 510-845-0433
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(based on 1 user review)
Ahh... Au Coquelet, the welcoming Berkeley cafe where you can get a cup of coffee at the crack of dawn and come back after midnight for another cup with an Irish kick, indulge in a fresh fruit torte or any of the spot's homemade desserts. No matter what time of day you opt to sit for a spell in the brick-walled Berkeley institution, there tables are sure to be dotted with people typing at laptops, thumbing through books, or just shooting the breeze.
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Chop Bar $$
- 247 4th St., Oakland (map)
- 510-834-2467
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(based on 3 user reviews)
With its savory Vietnamese pork sandwiches and occasional pig roasts, the Chop Bar is a favorite neighborhood eatery in the warehouse district. The owners are adamant about locally sourcing their food, and they also offer drafts from several Bay Area breweries, including the beloved Linden Street.
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Rick & Ann's Restaurant and Catering $$
- 2922 Domingo Ave., Berkeley (map)
- 510-649-8538
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(based on 1 user review)
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The Alley $$
- 3325 Grand Ave., Oakland (map)
- 510-444-8505
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Rod Dibble plays piano nightly at this Lake Merritt bar, often with vocal accompaniment from local amateur cabaret crooners. Designed like an old saloon with relatively private diner-style booths (where you can order a burger, steak, or fries to go with your drinks), the Alley is characterized by its vintage clotheslines, pink and baby-blue restroom stalls (much cleaner than your average East Bay haunt), and the thousands of marquees and business cards stapled to its walls. In contrast to the swankier Kingman’s Lucky Lounge across the street, the Alley stays true to its namesake, and the cluttered decor makes it seem homey.
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American Oak $$-$$$
- 2319 Santa Clara Ave., Alameda (map)
- 510-521-5862
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Beta Lounge $$
- 2129 Durant Ave., Berkeley (map)
- 510-845-3200
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This sleek, loungey little wine/sake bar boasts an interesting menu of nigori cocktails, a dozen or so largely satisfying noshes, and an ambient conviviality that belies its proto-IKEA design scheme.
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Bette's Oceanview Diner $$
- 1807 Fourth St., Berkeley (map)
- 510-644-3230
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Bing Crosby's $$$$
- 1342 Broadway Plaza, Walnut Creek (map)
- 925-939-2464
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Crosby's country-club cuisine is better than it needs to be, with some dishes grand enough to stand up to the monumentally nostalgic surroundings. The bar is a roiling meat market for the over-forty and the overly tanned, but it's worth wading in for the excellent martinis.
